Meet the Team

Andy Connolly

Director

A practising psychotherapist and counsellor, Andy has worked extensively in the charity sector, with experience in areas such as cancer, sexual health, young people and LGBT+ mental health. He is passionate about the development of new and innovative services for the delivery of counselling and emotional support, and improving access to those services for diverse groups of people. He is excited to be part of the team at SurvivorsUK.

Alan Robertson

Operations Manager / ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor)

Alan is the Operations Manager & Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) at SurvivorsUK. He manages our ISVA service which supports men around the criminal justice system and is responsible for funding development. Prior to working at SurvivorsUK Alan volunteered on their helpline and worked as a dual diagnosis project worker in a residential home, supporting men with alcohol addiction and mental health issues.

Katherine Cox

Supervisor, Counsellor & Groupwork Co-ordinator

Katherine is Clinical supervisor, counsellor and groupwork co-ordinator. She has worked in the charitable sector as a social worker and then as a psychotherapist and supervisor. She has experience of working in palliative care, sexual health, with survivors of trauma, with LGBT communities and young people. She is passionate about the development of groups as well as 1:1 work at SurvivorsUK.

Jeremy Sachs

Groupwork Co-ordinator

Jeremy has facilitated therapeutic groupwork for years. Delivered to groups who have experienced trauma, live with long term health issues or caught in cycles of violence. His work is therapeutically informed, with a strong emphasis on a creative, person-centred approach. He strongly believes that group work is key to tackling social isolation and building a sense of wellbeing and agency, after surviving adverse life experience/s.

Neil Atkinson

Counsellor & Groupwork Co-ordinator

Neil is a psychotherapist, trainer and group facilitator who has worked in a wide variety of psychological services, as well as in private practice.
His experience includes working with substance misuse, LGBT+ issues, childhood and adult trauma and survivors of domestic violence.
Part of Neil’s role will be to offer a flexible service for clients that find it difficult to engage with other support.

Agnese Manfrin

Digital Communications Officer

Agnese has a proven track record working in digital communications, online marketing, branding, editing and website management for charities and public sector organisations. Besides working for people’s empowerment behind the screen, she has previously worked as educator with refugees, migrants, children, and founded a youth development charity. She takes pride in working for one of the few organisations in the country that works exclusively with male survivors.

Ye-Ye Fadaka

Office Administrator

Ye-ye is the Administrator for SurvivorsUK. She is the first point of contact for people looking to access the service and for anyone looking for information about the services we offer. Ye-ye previously worked as an administrator at other charities such as Relate counselling and the Alzheimer’s Society and has experience working in the charity sector.

Calvin Stovell

ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor)

Calvin is an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) working with male victims of rape and sexual abuse with complex needs, who may feel disenfranchised due to homelessness, immigration and addictions issues, assisting them to navigate the criminal justice system. Before joining SurvivorsUK Calvin worked as a Sexual Health Advisor providing information and advice around sex, Sexually Transmitted Infections and prevention. He is also doing a diploma in Psychosexual counselling.

Chris Alderton

ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor)

Chris is an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA). His role is to provide non-judgemental, independent practical support and assistance to male victims of sexual violence or rape, regardless of whether the assault took place recently or in the past. He supports people who are thinking about reporting to the police or who are currently going through the criminal justice system. Before joining SurvivorsUK, Chris worked as a counsellor across several charities in London specialising in working with minority groups and male survivors of rape and sexual abuse.

Sam Thomson

Engagement & Outreach Officer

Sam is the Engagement & Outreach Officer. He manages all things ‘engaging’, from campaigns, to lecturing, to training – all in the name of building constructive pathways towards SurvivorsUK. He has a history of successful campaign development and implementation around rape and sexual assault, as well as volunteering experience with Rape Crisis. Often seen out and about removing the taboo surrounding rape and sexual assault – say “Hi!” if you see him.

Michelle Buckberry

Support Counsellor

Michelle has experience working with adults and young people with learning disabilities, mental health problems and a history of offending, and those who have experienced homelessness, misuse drugs and sex workers. As a counsellor she has more recently worked with survivors of domestic violence as well as men and women who have experienced sexual abuse and violence. She enjoys working with people who might otherwise find it difficult to access counselling and works creatively to enable them to do this.

Elizabeth Noble

Support Counsellor

Elizabeth is a psychotherapeutic counsellor and supervisor with over 10 years experience in managing and delivering NHS and charity services. She has specialised in counselling male survivors since 2011 and her experience also includes working with domestic violence survivors, LGBTQ+ communities, and people with long-term health conditions. Elizabeth’s role is to support clients that experience barriers to accessing counselling.

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